GOING TO JIAXING WITH ACES

If my life was a blender, somebody just hit the puree button.

Seriously, I was just accepted for a NSLI-Y Scholarship.  This means the U.S. Department of State is paying for me to study abroad in China for six weeks! WOOT WOOT

I honestly don't know how to mentally prepare myself for this craziness—in less than a month I will be diving head-on into the alien expanse that is China. No friends, no family, no cell phone, no facebook, no Boba Tea... You get the point: I will be 7,000 miles away from everything for six weeks.

Here's the rundown of what's about to happen:

Who: me (Megan Higgins) + 19 other American high schoolers

What: exchange program with Mandarin classes

When: June 26-August 10

Where: Jiaxing, China (Near Shanghai)

Why: Broaden my horizons and learn a new language!

Goals until I leave:

-Do well on ACT

-Solidify friendships

-Save money so I can blow it all in Shanghai

-Do random nice things for my family

-Study Mandarin as much as possible